e over my passport
and the certificates annexed, I am disposed to think that I shall not
need any further vindication from the suspicions you are pleased to
intimate."

"Toll-de-roll-loll!" said Captain le Harnois: "what's this trumpery?
Whose pot-hooks are these?" At the same time negligently unfolding the
papers, and tearing several by his coarse way of handling them. He
threw a hasty glance over one or two: but it struck Bertram that he was
holding them upside down. Be that as it might,--after tumbling,
mumbling, and tearing one document after another,--the noble Captain
tossed them all on the deck, advanced the broad extinguisher of his
foot upon--them--blew out a cloud of breath into the morning air, and
exclaimed--

"Pooh--pooh! Tom Drum: Lillibullero! 'Twon't do:--forged papers! Never
think to put off your rogue's tricks on Captain le Harnois." So saying
he rolled off to complete his quarter-deck turn, preparing however to
open his fire again when he came upon the other tack.

Bertram's indignation was naturally great at what he viewed as an
unprovoked outrage; and in spite of his precarious situation, and
though fully aware that he was in the Captain's power, he was on the
point of giving a loose to those feelings which calumniated innocence
is at all times privileged to express--when the boatswain tapped him on
the shoulder and whispered in his ear:

"Easy, master, easy: the Captain doesn't mean all he says: he speaks
worse than he thinks, when he has taken his breakfast rather early. He
takes brandy to breakfast, you understand. Twice a day he hauls his
wind, and speaks you as fair as a man could wish; just afore breakfast,
that's once; your next time's just afore noon. Oh! but it's pleasant
talking with the Captain then."

At this moment Captain le Harnois was again bearing down; and, just
as he brought his broadside to bear, Bertram--who was in the act
of gathering up his scattered papers and replacing them in his
pocket-book-contented himself with observing that on shore he hoped at
least to meet with some magistrate that would pay more respect to
papers regularly authenticated.

"Shore magistrate!" thundered the Captain, "the dragon and his horns!
what's a shore magistrate more than a salt-water magistrate? _Mort de
ma vie!_ I take it a Captain's commission, with four ministers' hands
to it--signed and countersigned, should be as good as a lubber's
warrant. What talk to me of lawyers and justices?